Master and Commander by Patrick O’Brian Book Review

Master and Commander is the first novel in the epic twenty book Aubrey-Maturin series by Patrick O’Brian. This first book is listed as one of the UK’s ‘Best Loved Novels’ in a BBC poll and served as the inspiration for the Russell Crowe movie Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World. If you’ve seen the movie, don’t hesitate to pick up the book – aside from the setting, there are no similarities. Hollywood just capitalized on the name … again.

Jack Aubrey is a lieutenant serving in the British Royal Navy during the Napoleonic wars. The year is 1800 and Jack is shipless at port, waiting for orders. Much to his surprise, his orders finally come through and he has received a promotion. He is to be Commander of his very own vessel, the Sophie. During his preparations and elated mood, he bumps into Dr. Stephen Maturin, an acquaintance from only the previous evening. In his high spirits, he offers Maturin the position of ship surgeon. The young and penniless doctor accepts, eager for work, a steady paycheck, and regular meals.

The Sophie is small, the smallest naval brig in port. But this doesn’t deter Commander Aubrey at all. He loads her with a full crew and some small cannons and they finally depart on their first mission. They are to escort a convoy along the coast and during their sail, Aubrey takes the time to familiarize himself with the vessel, his crew and their capabilities. He runs regular drills, builds a new mast to make the ship run faster, and explains how things run to Maturin who isn’t familiar with life aboard a naval vessel.

After the success of their first voyage, Aubrey is given his first patrol cruise and they go off in search of French merchant ships. The ship and his crew begin to run like clockwork under his command. Despite the Sophie’s small size, they challenge much larger ships and take prize after prize. Aubrey is good at sizing up his competition and he knows when to run and when to attack. His strategy for each confrontation is never the same and he always seems to be one step ahead. He often discusses matters with Maturin who would rather stay below deck during times of battle, and Maturin often delivers insightful advice that lends a hand in the nick of time.

As Commander Aubrey and the Sophie become more and more successful, they become a target for the French who are becoming weary of Aubrey’s triumphs and a Spanish frigate is sent to look for look for them. Word of their success has also grown in their home port, but the admiral refuses to award Aubrey with any special citations or notoriety because of jealousy and rivalry having to do with the admiral’s wife.

Aubrey, Maturin and the Sophie sail on and into waters that become more perilous with every turn of the tide.

Although this book was written in the sixties, it reads as if it was penned in the eighteenth or nineteenth century. It is extremely authentic and has received praise by historians for its language and well-researched naval milieu of the time. That being said, it isn’t the easiest book to read. The technical jargon mixed with an ancient vocabulary can be wearisome and a bit travailing. I had to reread several passages while others I simply had to dismiss – I’m not proficient in ship and naval terms and the inclusion of a ship’s diagram did little to help. But if you can get through the first one hundred pages, things start to pick up and the book pulls you in headfirst.

The battles and evasion techniques are incredible. Aubrey is fearless and smart, and he consistently manages to outwit his opponents with little damage to the Sophie or loss of life. Over time, he wins the affection and loyalty of his crew – as well as the reader. In one scene, he pulled up along the coast when an enemy approaches. In the cover of night, he orders half his crew overboard on the land side where they row to shore and then run along a jetty to the farthest point, then attacking the unsuspecting boat with hand held rockets from a vantage point. In another scene, they manage to evade detection by a larger ship by pretending to be a plague ship begging for assistance. By dressing his crew in costumes, using a few cans of paint and a change of the flags, Aubrey could gain any sort of advantage upon a foe. And when it came to a battle, Aubrey could always maneuver his lithe Sophie faster than the larger ships, managing to utilize his smaller cannons to deliver brutally advantageous assaults, crippling much larger ships with ease.

Of course there is swashbuckling and deafening roars from the broadsides! Aubrey’s crew would hang onto the rigging and jump to their enemy boat as they ran alongside it – fighting with long swords, bayonets and muskets to take their prize! The excitement is eye opening, especially when you realize that people actually fought like this. These sorts of naval battles actually happened.

The exciting battles are superb but the characters trump the action. Aubrey and Maturin are quick to develop a kinship through music and intellectual conversation. They appreciate each other’s company and hold mutual respect. I grew fond of their friendship. Aubrey is a character who comes to life when it is time for battle, or some sort of excitement. Maturin is his companion during the lulls who helps to pacify his eagerness.

In times of stress, Jack Aubrey had two main reactions: he either became aggressive or he became amorous; he longed either for the violent catharsis of action or for that of making love. He loved a battle: he loved a wench.

Aubrey’s nature, one that is infectious for the reader, is best summed up with my favorite line from the Master and Commander:

There was a bubbling furious excitement rising in his chest – the waiting was over, this was the now itself.

While Aubrey and Maturin share a high level of intelligence, Maturin brings candid, and often completely inappropriate, humor to match Aubrey’s aggressive nature.

As Maturin is trying to coax Aubrey down from dealing with the jealous admiral:

“I wonder you should be so concerned over a mere title – a tolerably Byzantine title,” observed Stephen. “After all, you are called Captain Aubrey now, and you will still only be called Captain Aubrey after that eventual elation; for no man, I understand it, ever says ‘Post Captain So-and-so’. Surely it cannot be a peevish desire for symmetry – a longing to wear two epaulettes?”

And after Maturin had just witnessed and studied the copulation rituals between two praying mantises and Aubrey had come to retrieve him for a party, Maturin notes:

“You do not need a head, nor even a heart, to be all a female can require.”

Not to be overlooked is the tidy amount of seaworthy vulgarity such as: rum-looking cullies, unscrupulousgrass-combing buggers, or mean-souled dough-faced son of a cow-poxed bitch. These colorful descriptions lace every other page and although the full nature of their implications isn’t always clear to the layman (which is almost everyone), they were still fun to read.

There is no amount of justice that can be done with a review for Master and Commander. It is new classic that must be experienced for yourself. A discussion on Master and Commander will be held on Tuesday, February 11th at 7pm, upstairs at The Rusty Hammer in Portsmouth, NH – open to all. An RSVP would be appreciated here: The Portsmouth Book Club.

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Rebecca Skane

Rebecca is the founder of the Portsmouth Book Club. Google it. It's free to join! Follow me on Goodreads! Read Full